Healing and cleansing the body through nutrition, breath, and yoga complete series
I hope you have enjoyed the 3-part series. This last blog put’s all 3 parts together for a simple, easy-to-follow cleanse that will make you feel healthy and happy, all day long.
Click Here For The Full PDF File I Created Just For You!
Here is a recap on why you need to do a cleanse.
There are so many “cleanses” and workout challenges out there to motivate you to be healthier and happier. But, in reality, do they make you healthier and happier? For example, there is the 30 day fast that gives you headaches, cravings, stomach cramps, and makes you extremely grumpy and not very good company. Or the body blaster workout that in reality is awesome if you have perfect posture and are 20 years old…but if you don’t have posture and youth on your side you end up with knee pain, back pain, neck pain, and maybe even a hernia. That wouldn’t make me happy or feel healthy. With all my experience doing cleanses and challenges I found the best way to introduce change is slow.
5 Signs You Need To Do A Cleanse:
1. You feel bloated all the time, especially after a meal.
2. You are fatigued and often feel sluggish even after drinking coffee.
3. Your bowels are irregular and you tend to have constipation or diarrhea, or alternate between both (this could be a sign of parasites).
4. You frequently get rashes or acne.
5. Frequent headaches, colds, or viruses tend to plague you.
I know when I have any of these symptoms, I always feel better if I dive into a cleanse. Typically during the cleanse you may feel even more tired or get body aches or even headaches because you are not eating as much as usual. THAT IS OK! Your body goes through a lot of changes when you detox and feeling yucky is a sign the cleanse is working. Have no fear, the yucky, achy feelings subside within a few days of the cleanse being complete.
Keys to making a cleanse work for you:
1. If you are hungry, drink more broth or more water.
2. If you have headaches, drink more broth, and if you have to eat, eat something from the earth like vegetables or fruit.
3. Try to push through the discomfort as you will feel so much better once the cleanse is complete.
Within 2 days after a cleanse you will notice:
1. Your skin feels cleaner and appears clear
2. Your gut feels lighter and less bloated
3. Your bowels are more regular
4. You feel healthier and crave foods that are good for you
5. Your energy levels are up and your mood is happier
Always consult your physician before doing a cleanse and if you feel light-headed or dizzy stop the cleanse immediately.
I designed this 3 part cleanse to get you started. Part 1 is a quick easy cleanse using broth, Part 2 is cleansing the mind and body through breath and part 3 is cleansing through yoga.
Part 1 Cleansing Using Broth Recap – Clink here for the full link
A quick easy immune system booster and cleanse for the body is through bone broth. If you are vegetarian, try the vegetarian broth instead as the leafy greens in this broth have a great source of collagen-building blocks. Drinking this yummy broth will revive the cells in your body.
What are the benefits of cleansing using broth?
1. When using bone broth, you can heal the gut and improve digestion just by drinking broth every day. Bone broth has high levels of gelatin and collagen that come from the bones it’s made from; these ingredients can help heal the stomach lining and intestines. The intestines are meant to absorb nutrients into our body, however, when we have leaky gut, we have tiny holes in our intestines which can allow large particles of food to pass into our bloodstream. This is not a good thing and can lead to food sensitivities. The vegetarian broth will also help improve digestion and heal the gut with its leafy greens, turmeric, and ginger root.
2. Cleaning out the organs and intestines helps rid the body of stored toxins, boosting your immune system and energy levels.
3. Broth will give you stronger nails, luscious hair and improve bone density and joint health.
4. Broth can aid in digestion as it contains a lot of amino acids that enhance the digestive process.
There is so much research out there saying it takes 21 days to create a habit. Well, I have done 21 days of a lot of things and a new habit was not formed. Not to say it doesn’t work for everyone, but a lot of my clients have discovered 21 days is not always the magic number.
What I propose is a simple 7-day challenge incorporating the 3 part cleansing series together to kick start your body onto a healthy and happy path. If you do not notice a difference in how you feel within 7 days, this is a sign you need to dig deeper and see what is going on in your body. Repeat this challenge for another 7 days and see if you feel better 2 weeks later.
Part 2 – Cleansing Through Breath Recap
Cleansing the mind is important for several reasons. Number one is to reduce stress, increase energy, followed by getting rid of stinkin thinkin. Sometimes we believe everything that we think and spiral down into a negative pattern of thinking. Negative thoughts can cause visceral fight or flight responses in our bodies, increase cortisol levels (draining your energy), bracing and holding your breath which makes it hard to relax and even get oxygen into your system. Further, shallow breathing increases anxiety, and thus the vicious cycle continues.
Benefits of breathing deep using the diaphragm and breathing into the abdominal region.
• lowered blood pressure and heart rate
• reduced levels of stress hormones in the blood
• reduced lactic acid build-up in muscle tissue
• balanced levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
• improved immune system functions
• increased physical energy
• increased feelings of calm and wellbeing
Part 3 – Cleansing Through Yoga Recap – Yoga does a lot for our bodies, with each and every pose designed to stimulate an organ, open up a tight muscle, release stress, or simply calm the mind. I have been doing yoga for over 30 years and these poses are my go-to for wringing out the toxins in my body while at the same time cleansing my mind.
Below is a list of the poses with cues on how to perform them as well as the benefits of each. It’s best that you don’t try to do all of them at once though. I suggest you start with the 7-day challenge I mapped out for you below, as it is important to start slow and ease yourself into a routine.
7-day challenge – be sure to see YouTube video links below on breath work and yoga poses
Day 1
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising. 1 cup of water (see my blog on water). 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Eat and drink as you normally would, noticing if you have fewer cravings for poor food choices.
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform one yoga pose, Wind Removing Pose
Day 2
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising, 1 cup of water following the broth. 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Modify your diet slightly by taking out ½ the sweets you normally eat and drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water that day with a pinch of sea salt in each glass.
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform 2 Yoga Poses
1. Wind Removing Pose
2. Seated Twist
Day 3
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising, 1 cup of water following the broth. 1 cup of broth with lunch and 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Further, modify your diet by changing one food you always eat and replacing it with something different. If you always eat salads, switch it out for a bowl of homemade soup or sautéd spinach with grilled chicken and lots of olive oil and butter.
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform 3 yoga poses:
1. Wind Removing Pose
2. Seated Twist
3. Seated Forward Fold
Day 4
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising, 1 cup of water following the broth. 1 cup of broth with lunch and 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Be mindful of everything you eat today and make a mental note if you think what you are eating is serving your body or is it harmful to your body? Write one thing down and make note of what you would change? For example, if you drink diet soda and you have convinced yourself it is healthy because it has no calories, revisit that story. Diet soda leaches calcium from your bones, attacks the nervous system, and taxes your liver with all the crazy chemicals in it…and that is just a few of the harmful things it does. Rewrite the story you tell yourself; diet soda is harmful to my body and I will try to nurture my body by giving it the nourishment it needs. Switch to plain Pellegrino with flavored stevia drops from sweet leaf. https://shop.sweetleaf.com/collections/organic-sweet-drops
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform 4 yoga poses:
- Wind Removing Pose
- Seated Twist
- Seated Forward Fold
- Garland Pose with Twist
Day 5
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising, 1 cup of water following the broth. 1 cup of broth with lunch and 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Keep doing what you are doing and just add 30 minutes of walking in today. It can even be 3 10 minute bouts of walking. Park far away from the store, walk the perimeter of the grocery store for 30 minutes, use the stairs instead of an elevator if you can.
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform 5 yoga poses:
- Wind Removing Pose
- Seated Twist
- Seated Forward Fold
- Garland Pose with Twist
- Squat with Twist
Day 6
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising, 1 cup of water following the broth. 1 cup of broth with lunch and 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Try to eliminate all processed foods and meats, eating only foods that came from the earth like fruits and vegetables.
Walk 30 minutes today. Remember it can even be 3 10 minute bouts of walking. Park far away from the store, walk the perimeter of the grocery store for 30 minutes, use the stairs instead of an elevator if you can.
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform 6 yoga poses:
- Wind Removing Pose
- Seated Twist
- Seated Forward Fold
- Garland Pose with Twist
- Squat with Twist
- Standing Forward Fold
Day 7
1 cup of broth in the morning upon rising, 1 cup of water following the broth. 1 cup of broth with lunch and 1 cup of broth in the evening.
Try to go the whole day drinking only liquids. Organic juices, lots of broth, and water. If you get hungry, drink more.
Take a meditative walk for 10 minutes outside where you focus on the breath the entire time. Walk slow and observe nature, breathe in deeply and breathe out deeply for the entire 10 minutes. If you get anxious and want to speed up, don’t! Save it for when the 10 minutes is completed and then power walk your heart out if needed.
Once during the day perform a breathing meditation, pick one
1. Wim Hof
2. Alternate nostril breathing
Perform 7 yoga poses:
- Wind Removing Pose
- Seated Twist
- Seated Forward Fold
- Garland Pose with Twist
- Squat with Twist
- Standing Forward Fold
- Hip Extension with Spinal Rotation
Excellent job!
At the end of the 7 days, you should feel lighter in your body, lighter in your mind, and craving exercise and good foods. If you still feel like you need to work a bit more go back to day 1 and repeat the 7 day cleanse. Sometimes it is helpful to try 2 days of no food and see how you feel. If you were especially achy and tired then you know your body had a lot of toxins to get rid of. Try to repeat the 7 day cleanse and release more toxic energy from the body.
Here are the links to all the Cleansing YouTube Videos.
Cleansing The Mind and Mody Through Breath Work – https://youtu.be/fC9ahWF_5IA
Cleansing The Mind and Body Through Yoga – https://youtu.be/F39EOe8ndag